Singapore 8/5/07

Singapore 8/5/07

It's HOT! As I sit down to write about the first stop on this current adventure that's the first thing that pops in my mind. I'm trying not to complain. I knew it was going to be hot for most of this trip when I started planning it and I should just get used to it because it's probably only going to get hotter.

As a Floridian I'm no stranger to hot so I'll actually be more specific, it's humid! Just one step out of my air con dorm room at the Backpackers Cozy Corner hostel and you have a layer of moisture all over your body. Luckily Singapore is one giant shopping center so finding an air conditioned building to rest in is never far away. I'm not one for shopping much though so I will say this town has not really excited me much. It's like Asia for Dummies, well English Dummies that is. Everything is in English and most of the stores and shops are U.S. corporate chains.

It's not a bad place mind you. It's very clean and polite. You see signs reminding you of the heavy fines for doing things like spitting or littering and of course I remember the story of a kid being cained for graffiti. It must work because you don't see any. You rarely hear cars honk but the roads are as busy as any major city. When I finally headed into the City at 8 a.m., after arriving at 1 a.m. and sleeping a few hours at the air port, I took the subway to my hostel and I felt like I was in a Twilight Zone episode.

The train was packed and I was the only Caucasian face around sticking out even more with a pack on my back the size of some of the commuters. That wasn't the weird part. I'm actually quite used to that. The weird part was the dead silence of the whole thing. Nobody was talking; no yelling to friends, no chatting on cell phones, not even music from a person playing their IPod entirely to loud. People just filed in and out of the trains like a swarm of ants. Even the trains themselves were quiet. No clanging metal or screeching brakes. There was just a recorded, polite, female voice with an English accent announcing the stops and to "mind the gap."

My 3 days here have been pretty un-eventful. I checked out a few parks but it's to hot to really enjoy them. I am once again amazed at the retail world in Asia. It seems like everything is a store. They must be rabid consumers to support so many outlets. I have not seen anything in the States, besides the Mall of America, that compares to the shopping complexes of Japan, Bangkok, Hong Kong, and now Singapore.

I'm fond of saying the World gets smaller everyday and I found more confirmation of this on my first night in town. Singapore has an AMAZING performing arts and cultural complex on the river called The Esplanade. I was drawn to it by it's unique architecture from blocks away but

was blown away by it once I got inside and started exploring. It's HUGE and wide open to the public. Their music library alone kept me occupied for a few hours. Well the air conditioning didn't hurt either.




A "What's Happening" flyer from the air port had teased me with info about a music festival; "Bay Beats" a 3 day festival featuring independent rock bands from around the World on 2 stages. I made a mental note to check out where it was but I didn't have to search far because I stumbled right into it at The Esplanade. I giggled out loud and beamed from ear to ear when I found a huge poster and all the details. The first band went on at 6 p.m. that night. Perfect!

I fought off the jet lag and joined 4 new friends from the hostel (Evelyn and Laura (Ireland), Scott (Seattle), Peter (England) that night for the show. I wasn't sure what to expect from the music. I thought it would be interesting and different but not something I would actually want to buy. I was wrong and here is where I saw the world get smaller.

The first group we saw was a singer/songwriter with a backing band. His name is Azmyl Yunor. His songs were a great Alt. Country/Folk Rock sound with catchy, clever original tunes. He hails from Malaysia and he had me hooked at song one. If I was blindfolded I would have sworn it was the Jayhawks on stage. In between songs he spoke like Bob Dylan but back when Bob still laughed. You could make out his accent when he spoke but when he sang he sounded pure Americana. To hear that sound coming from an all Malaysian band you realize that we live more and more in a global culture.


He made a statement at one point that convinced me to buy a CD. He asked "Who was the first punk rocker?" As the crowd yelled out names like Sid Vicious and Johnny Rotten he finally retorted "Woody Guthrie" and immediately burst into a rockin original song. I don't know if the young Singaporeans there understood his point but I loved it!

After Azymyl I caught two more bands that impressed me. A rock/funk group called KJWAN from the Philippines and local original rock favorites Plainsunset. I liked them both a lot and will track down some tunes on line. All the groups did 90% of their material in English but usually threw in one song in their native tongue that left me trying to sing some catchy chorus in a language I was sure to be butchering.

I have now been in this coffee shop on Orchard Road for about an hour. My cappachino is almost gone but most importantly I'm not sweating and actually feel dry. That won't last long. It's time to go. A planned out day that next has me finding some lunch, then an Internet cafe, and then a gym. Running outdoors is not an option I'm afraid.
MJF